Vehicle-spring coupling



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAMBOUGHTON, OF MANSFIELD, 0H10.

VEHlCLE-SPRING COUPLING.

SPECI'EICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 472,724, dtd. April 12, 1892.

Application filed July 6,189L Ser1al N0. 398,568. (N0 mode1.)

T0 all wh0m it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM BOUGHTON, a eitizen of the United States, residing ab Maus field, in the county of Richland and State 0f Ohio, have invented eertain new and usefu1 Improvements in Vehic1e-Spring Oonnections or Oouplings; and I d0 hereby declare the fol- 1owing to be a full, c1ear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable 0thers skilled in the art 130 whieh it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to conneetions or couplings for vehiele-springs, and ain1s to replace the connections' generally employed for connecting the ends 0f springs with the bolsters 01 with the side bars, be the latter-rigid or spring, and for eonneeting the ends 0f springs with any portion of the vehicle-body or running-gears, whereby a universal hanger 01 connection is had to pern1it the body to swing in all directions 110 adapt itself to the direetion of strain 01 jolt.

The improvement eonsists of. the novel features and the peouliar construction and combination of the parts,which Will be hereinafter more fully deseribed and claimed, and which are shown in the annexed drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a platform running-gear embodying my inven'tion. Fig. 2 is a detail section showing the applica tion of the invention on a larger seale. Fig. 3 is a section similar to Fig. 2, showing a modification in the employment of a.semispherical washer between the ball-socket in the spring and the nut 011 the conneeting or eonpling bar. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view 0f one end of the spring, showing the ball-sooket formed therein. Fig. 5 is a view simi1ar to Fig. 4: of the opposing end of the spring 0r part t0 Whi0h the aforesaid spring is conneeted.

D or their eqnivalent are nsua1ly attaehed.

The gist of the invention is ball-sockets in the ends of the parts C and D. The coup= ling or conneeting bar Eis provided with ball e 011 one end and is threaded at its opposite end, which receives the nut F. When the nut F is used alone, its working face is semispherical t0 correspond with the ball-socket in one of the parts C and D; but if a washer f is used the nut may be of usua1 constru r tion and the washer Will be semi-spherieal 011 its working face.

In assembling the parts the conneeting 0r coupling bar is thrust through openings in the ball-sockets in the parts C and D, and the nut 01 the washer and nut*are applied t0 the threaded end. The openings in the parts C and D are suffioiently large to permit the coupling 01 connecting bar 130 p1ay freely, whereby the vehiclebody is free 1:0 swing in any and all direetions. The bal1-soekets are pressed in the parts C and D, thereby attaining the desired end without making the parts unnecessarily heavy. Obviouslyby this couneetion a quartenspring ean 100 used and p1aced ab any angle on the body 0.1 gear, also, the end 0f one spring being directly under the other gives it a bearing that is direct and- Will n 0t cause the springs t0 tvvist and break, 1 as it W0111(1 if the bearing was ab the edge or side of spring, the bangen passing directly through the end of spring, giving the ball a bearing that Will n0t twist the spring. The coupling bar is provided With a spring or rubber buffer, which cornes between the springs, as shown by 1ahe dotted. lines M in Fig. 3, t0 prevent the eoupling from jumping am]. rattling.

I-Iaving thus deseribed my invenlsion, what I 01ai1n, and desire t0 seeure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a vehicle spring, the co'xnbination, With the parts O and D, having ball-sockets in their exterior sides, of a coupling-bar having a ball at one end to fit in a socket in qne of the parts and having its other end threaded, and a part adjustable 011 the threaded end of 95 the said bar and having a semi-spherical Working faee 130 work in the socket in the other part, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The cornbination, With the en(1 springs 100 D and the side springs O, havi1ig ball-sockets ing p arts, substantially as shown ancl dein their ends, 0f Single stmight coupling-bars scbed. 10 ha.ving a ba11 ac one end t0 fit in a soeket of In testimony whereof I affix my signature in one 015 thesprings and havi1ig che other end presenoe 0f two witnesses.

5 threaded, and parts adjustably mounted on WILLIAM BOUGI-I'ION.

the threaded ends of tl1e said eoupling-bars WVitnesses: v and having semi-spherieal worki-ng faces 130 JESSE E. LA DOW,

fit in the sockets of the other 01' eorrespond- C. STELLA CLIFFORD. 

